CARE welcomes the speedy progress of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. This will now come into action on 4th November 2016.

The critical threshold of countries’ combined emissions share of 55% has been surpassed today, triggering the entry into force 30 days later.

Wolfgang Jamann, CEO and Secretary General of CARE International: “CARE welcomes the entry into force of the Paris Agreement as a strong win for multilateralism that can benefit the world’s poorest people who are also the most affected by the impacts of climate change. But for us to see these benefits, we need to keep the momentum, and quickly step up actions to cut emissions by shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Governments need to rapidly improve the climate resilience of their most vulnerable and marginalised populations especially women and girls. Otherwise the Agreement will be an empty shell, and the consequences will continue to be devastating for millions around the world.”

As a contribution to the Paris Agreement’s implementation, CARE will continue to advocate for climate-just policies and develop sustainable solutions to address climate change with a focus on approaches that empower women and girls and lead to gender-transformative outcomes across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance to long-term development.

The Paris Agreement requires 55 countries with 55% of global emissions to deposit their instruments of ratification with the UN in order to become law 30 days following this action. With the recent approval of India and various European countries, the 55% emission threshold was passed on 5 October.

The Paris Agreement will now enter into force on 4 November, in time for the 22nd UN climate change conference in Marrakesh (COP22), Morocco. CARE International will be present there with an international delegation.